Home to almost 700,000 residents, Seattle has a very large sports betting population. The city is home to the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL and the Seattle Mariners of the MLB, but sports fans in Seattle have also had to deal with the loss of their NBA team in 2008. There is talk of the NHL expanding to Seattle, but for now, Seattle has the two major sports teams, as well as Seattle Sounders FC of the MLS.

Sports betting has become popular among Seattle residents over recent years, but I still often receive questions regarding the legality of online sports betting while living in various US cities. On this page I will try to dispel some of the myths surrounding the legality of placing online sports bets from Seattle, as well as provide you with a couple of reputable sportsbooks that accept American residents.

Is Sports Betting Legal In Seattle?

First of all, I want to stress that operating a sportsbook in the state of Washington is illegal. This goes for running offline bookmaking services or an online sportsbook that operates out of Washington.

That said, Seattle residents should not worry about being criminally charged for partaking in online sports betting at online betting sites that accept Americans. Although Washington lawmakers do not agree with online gambling in any form, they are not able to enforce their anti-betting laws.

So with that said, you should feel comfortable betting on sports online, so long as you use a well established and reputable online sportsbook that is licensed and regulated outside of the United States. And wouldn’t you know it, I provide two great betting sites that meet that criteria below….

Best Sportsbooks for Seattle Residents

Both Bovada and BetOnline are very popular sports betting sites for Seattle residents. Both sites are safe, secure and widely popular across the United States.

Bovada is our top rated site because they cater only to the American market. This allows Bovada to fully customize their sportsbook, banking options and customer service to meet the needs of the American bettor.

Offline Sports Betting in Seattle

There is no offline betting allowed in Washington State. You want to place a bet at a brick and mortar sportsbook you will have to trek down to Nevada.

One thing that Washington State does allow residents to wager on is horse racing. And luckily enough for Seattle residents there is a very popular race track located a half hour drive south of downtown.

Emerald Downs

Emerald Downs is a popular horse racing track located in Auburn, just south of Seattle. It’s a fairly new facility in horse racing terms, having opened just over 20 years ago in June of 1996. Emerald Downs replaced Longacres race track, which closed down in 1992, and their biggest race of the year still carries the name of the defunct track. The Longacres Mile is a grade 3 race with a purse of $200,000 that takes place in August.

The track hosts live racing from April to September and you can bet on both the live races and simulcast races from tracks across the country at the venue. In addition to the live racing, Emerald Downs is also home to the Clubhouse Casino, which includes 15 table games that allow patrons to continue to gamble away from the tracks.

***I should also note that you can wager on every live race at Emerald Downs at both of the online sportsbooks I recommended above.